Maths KS1: Adding 1 to 3

Rodd is sewing giant buttons on his clown coat and asks us to help him work out how many buttons there will be if he adds one more.

We count with him as he demonstrates using his special abacus, his fingers and juggling with fruit.

Then we join in with a clown footsteps game, check our counting with a number track and sing a number rap about ‘3 plus 1’.

This is from the series: Counting with Rodd Counting with Rodd 2

Teacher Notes

Children can make up their own 3 plus 1 rhymes: ‘I had 3 --- and added 1 more, so in the end I had 4!’.They can make ‘finger rings’ with 3 silver paper rings and 1 gold paper ring.

Children can balance 3 beanbags of 1 colour on their bodies and try to add 1 more of a different colour, saying the total.

Pause the clip before Rodd’s clown footsteps game. After the clip, children can pretend to be different animals, taking 3 steps and ‘1 more’ in order to reach ‘food’ (eg floor bunny jumps to reach a ‘carrot’).

Curriculum Notes

This clip is relevant for teaching Maths at KS1 in England, Foundation Phase in Wales and Early and 1st Level in Scotland. Also Foundation and KS1 in Northern Ireland.